Kitchen Staples: Date Puree

I’m here again to share with you another of my favourite kitchen staples. This time, it’s date puree!

What is Date Puree?

Date puree is literally what it says – pureed dates. It’s a great thing to have around because it turns our good friend dates into an instantly usable, accessible and versatile sweetening ingredient.

How to make date puree

To make date puree, place a handful of dates into a bowl (doesn’t matter how many) and pour freshly boiled (but not boiling) water over them until it’s just covering all of the dates.

Leave it to sit for around 10-20 minutes (depending on how soft your dates were to begin with). Then pour into a blender along with the water in which they were soaking and blend until a smooth, caramel-like puree forms.

Benefits of Date Puree

There are so many things I love about date puree.

It can be made using any type of dates – not just the expensive ones

It makes a great alternative natural sweetener

You get all the nutritional benefits of dates, such as iron, fibre, zinc, magnesium and potassium

It’s incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes, including raw desserts

It’s raw, minimally processed and so quick and easy to make

It makes the basis for a FINE caramel sauce.

You can also adjust the date puree’s consistency depending on what you want to use it for. So, if it’s frosting, add less water to make it thicker. If it’s going to be drizzled, add more water to make it runnier.

Date Puree Uses

If you’re new to the idea of using dates as a natural sweetener, then date puree is a great place to start. As it’s basically like a treacle or syrup, it lends itself well to all kinds of scenarios.

Drizzle it over porridge or oats

Use as both a sugar replacer and oil replacer in baked goods (it also makes a great binding agent!)

Use a delicious caramel sauce all on its own. Dip apples into it, or swirl it into your favourite ice cream or banana nice cream!

To make a creamier caramel sauce, blend the dates with non-dairy milk instead of water, or heat the date puree gently in a pan with some coconut milk.

I always like to have a small jar of date puree on my fridge at all times, ready for when the snacking or baking urge hits!